A Love for All Time is out tomorrow! It’s book one in Laura Landon’s Men of Valor series. Laura was kind enough to answer some questions for us.
You can get your copy of this thrilling historical romance HERE!
Did you always know you wanted to be an author? What is the first story you remember writing? How did you get from there to where you are today?
I had absolutely NO idea I would ever be an author. I loved to make up stories in my head when I was a teen-ager and madly in love with Robert Horton on Wagon Train, Troy Donahue, Ricky Nelson, Tab Hunter, etc., etc., etc., Oh, I could go on and on and on. That also tells you how old I am! I’m not a spring chicken and have to admit that I didn’t write my first novel until 1997. I published my first novel in 2009, when I was 61 years old. Since then I’ve published 44 historical novels.
As to how I got from there to where I am today, the answer is easy. God has blessed me every step of the way. Once I started writing, I couldn’t stop. I wrote two, three, sometimes four or five novels a year. Luckily, I had a fellow writer and wonderful friend named Mary Schwaner, who started her own publishing company to publish my books. She published them as fast as I wrote them. Then, in 2012, Montlake romance contacted me and offered me a contract. They published 3 of my completed novels and brought all three of them out on the same day!! What a day!! I ended up publishing 7 books with Montlake, then went back to self publishing with Mary.
Do you have any experience dressing in character or participating in living history situations?
I have the most wonderful experience imaginable! I attended the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd HRR Conference, the first two which were held at the historic Davenport Hotel in Spokane, WA, and the third at the Mission Inn Hotel and Spa in Riverside, CA. For nearly an entire week, I had an opportunity to dress as a lady in the Victorian Era. It was amazing. But what was the most amazing part of the entire experience was meeting so many fabulous fellow authors, many of which are fellow authors here at Dragonblade. I consider them lifelong friends and intend to make more new friends as a member of Dragonblade!
Where is your favorite place to write? Does it change depending on where you are in the process?
Over the last several years, I have developed debilitating osteoarthritis, especially in my back. Although my mind thinks that I am still thirty-five, my body insists that I’m far older. I’ve been forced to use a walker or a scooter for several years because of my back. Some days I have a difficult time walking or sitting. I have resorted to spending most of my days in bed, and have learned to write in a prone position. Because it is where I am most comfortable, I have written my last several novels in bed.
Do you know where the story is going before you begin, or does it come to you as you write? Do scenes come to you fully formed or are you as surprised as the reader? I am not a plotter, but there are several details I have to know before I can start a story. First of all, I have to know my hero’s, my heroine’s, and my villain’s backstories. I have to know the inciting incident, and the black moment, too. Then, I can start. I never know what is going to happen in my story, but watch each scene unfold in front of me like a movie playing in my head.
Do you write better in the morning or evening? How do you handle the distractions of working from home, especially if you’re sharing the space with others?
I am the proverbial night-owl. I write a while in late afternoon, eat dinner, catch up on the news, then write most of the night. (Okay – Sometimes I watch a movie first, then write.) I “try” to go to sleep by 4 – 5 am but don’t always make it. I try not to schedule any appts. in the am, but leave appts. for the afternoons. These are my ideal days, but I have to admit. Life seems to intrude and ruin my plans.
Although I don’t have anyone or anything to interrupt my days, I do have a four-legged friend. His name is Muffy and he allows me to live in his house. He also shares his bed with me, and is gracious about not hogging the covers. He follows me everywhere I go and makes sure I’m never lonely. (That means I seldom have time to myself) We’re still coming to terms on who has control of the computer. I’m trying to convince him that it isn’t his and just because I press on the keys, that doesn’t mean he gets to, too.
